Souvenirs
by Madances
Summary: looking at memorabilia


Souvenirs

Disclaimer: The characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I have borrowed the characters without the consent or knowledge of Warner Brothers or Shoot the Moon. I will return them shortly. The extra characters and story are mine.

Timeframe: if there had been a season 5, it would be between season 5 & season 6.

Summary: looking at memorabilia

Amanda was in her bedroom taking things out of a box. A medallion suspended from a ribbon, a football, a large folder, a book given her by T.P., a ticket stub, a wedding picture, a framed document, several pressed red roses and a federal ID. Other items still awaited her in the bottom of the cardboard container; a Bomber baseball support button, a concubine ring, airline ticket folders, invitations to embassy parties, hospital bracelets, jazz festival ticket stubs, movie ticket stubs, and a play bill from 'Parisian Intrigue'.

She looked them over, stroking each one softly, tears flowed down her cheeks. She reached to pick up a large panda bear and sat on the edge of the bed hugging the bear, rocking back and forth.

Her mother stood in the hall watching, "Darling, what's wrong?"

"I thought you were out, Mother," her daughter said softly.

Dotty walked over and sat beside her little girl on the edge of the bed. "Where is Lee?" she asked.

Amanda looked up, "I don't know. He's on a zero contact mission. He should have been back two days ago. He has missed his last check-ins."

"Are all these things from cases?" asked Dorthea West.

"Sort of, I pulled them out to help remember all the tuff situations we got out of," she replied.

"Are you scared? Is that why you are crying?"

"I was with him. I know he was an agent long before he met me. Every since I was pulled out of the field … I don't know … it's different. I'm not there to watch his back."

"I know that he will be alright. He still has you to pray for him, right?"

"Yes."

"Maybe it will help to talk. Tell me about the panda that was left on the front porch."

"Lee bought it for Alexi. After he was back with his parents, Lee brought it to me. You remember Alexi, Mother?"

"Young Dillinger? Yes, I remember him. Russians at Peppertree Mall?"

"Yes, Mother."

Dotty picked up the football. "To one heck of a good reporter. Best wishes, Sandy Newcomb," A smile touched her lips.

"Lee was under cover as a pro-football player. I was the reporter so he could pass messages. That was the first time he ever kissed me." At Dotty's curious look Amanda continued. "We got caught so he kissed me. We were caught necking instead of … spying."

Dotty smiled at the look on her daughter's face, "what about this?" she asked holding the book.

"A friend gave it to me before he went to catch a big time drug dealer."

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, Mother, he's fine. He works at the Library of Congress."

"Before or after?"

"Yes, Mother, before and after."

Dotty picked up the ribbon of the medallion and held it out.

Amanda smiled and took it from her mother's hand. She stood up, pulling her mother up with her. Standing straight and tall, she placed it around her mother's neck. "For protecting the life of Princess Valenskya, I present this metal to Dorthea West."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you were taking driving lessons with Howard, you backed the car because you saw the Princess go past. You backed into a car that had hit men trying to kill her."

"I did? … Have I done anything else?"

"Phillip's book 'Sky Chief Rides Again' was accidentally switched with one that contained vital information. Mr. Melrose had to get another copy of 'Sky Chief. And Lee had to get another one of those dolls, action figures shipped in from Taiwan or somewhere because one of the guys sat on it."

"He didn't?"

"Yeah, he did, in less than a day!" both women laughed.

The older woman opened the folder holding a penciled sketch of Lee and Amanda signed Aunt Emily. "Aunt Emily? I didn't think Lee had any aunts?"

"He doesn't. I went to Austria as a niece. Emily was missing and she left a message for Amanda King, her niece from America. We got her back and caught the bad guys," she said with a great deal of satisfaction.

"Ticket stub to the opera?"

Laughing, Amanda told her mother, "Lee said that everything should be planned and not hinge on an accident. He told me to pick up a stranger (he played the stranger), establish a relationship and get him to ask me to that opera."

"and did you?"

"No, I didn't know how. So he told me to sit on the 'park bench' (it was the sofa in the office) and let him show me. His first words were 'hey toots' and his last words were 'that's to bad. These are for tonight'. " Both women laughed.

"So that's the way it should be done?"

"I have no idea, Mother."

Dotty picked up the photo and turned it around so she could see it, "Amanda, this is a wedding picture. You look so beautiful and Lee is very handsome in his tuxedo. When was it taken?"

"Do you remember when I had to go on that cruise for IFF? A friend of Lee's was missing but the next trip was a wedding cruise. Only engaged couples so I went as his cover. He didn't believe that it would get that far, as far as the wedding."

"What happened?"

"Lee still had not found his friend the night before the ceremony, suddenly I had to prepare for a wedding. There wasn't much left in the bridal shop the night before the ceremonies. I did the best I could in the time I had."

"You did a wonderful job, Darling. Was Lee pleased?"

"I think so - He did say I looked beautiful. We had to get married to maintain our cover. It was never legal, of course. After the wedding, we found his friend and - then we flew home."

"What happened to the dress?"

"I don't know. I gave it to the Agency, after all they paid for it."

"… and your rings. Where are your rings?"

"I gave them back to Lee. I always gave the rings back and I guess he turned them in."

"The pressed roses?"

Amanda gently touched the dried petals, "I was so moved when he gave them to me. He hated roses. A friend of his had died surrounded by red roses. After a case he gave these to me."

"This is an ID for the United States Bureau of the Census Department of Marital Relations. What is the United States Bureau of the Census Department of Marital Relations?"

"We made it up. I had to ask a lady questions about her ex-husband so -"

Her parent picked up the framed document and her eyes grew wider as she read aloud. "For services to her country above and beyond the call of duty, this certificate of valor is hereby presented to Mrs. Amanda King - and it is signed by the president - Amanda?"

"What can I say? Bad guys were doing bad stuff. I got help, saved Lee and we stopped them."

Phillip and Jamie were standing at the doorway holding a flower vase and a bear. They were both staring at the framed document in their grandmother's hand. "Mom?" they both said together.

"We have to do better than this," Amanda told her mother.

"Either that or we are training young spies."

"Fellas, you can not tell anyone, OK?"

"OK." "I guess so."

"A flower guy just left these and he said he was sorry that they are two days late. They are for you, Grandma."

The outside of the envelope was addressed to "Mrs. Dorthea West". Inside on a 'welcome home' card was written "Be ready to make those hamburgers. I will bring the wine.' The bear is for Skip or Panda Jr." and there was no signature.

"I have to go to the store. I have to get hamburger fixings," said Amanda excitedly.

Dotty said, "I am sure this all makes sense to you but - zero contact? I will go right now."

Dotty was pulling out of the driveway as Lee was pulling in. "It will take a little while for those burgers. The flowers just arrived," she waved as she drove away."

Lee crept up the stairs listening to the sound of his wife's voice telling the boys something about Sandy Newcomb. "It was the first time he ever kissed me."

"Your husband does it better," Lee claimed from the open door and then kissed her to prove it.

"Oh, wow. Yes he does!" Amanda stood up to hug him as close as her greatly rounded belly would let her.

"I thought you didn't like to be called Skip!"

"Maybe it isn't so bad, Panda."


End file.
